Aquaphobia
by Shanowa
Summary: Obi-Wan has a problem and his friends want him to negotiate it. SiriWan, but not a love story. Rated for a short later sexual content, not explicit. Category changed from 'Star Wars' to 'Jedi Apprentice'


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**Disclaimer: Has not changed, it still doesn't belong to me. I'm not George Lucas. I just borrowed parts of his SW-Universe.**

_Just a short story. Also Jedi can get traumatized. Obi-Wan is about 20 there. The cursive parts are flashbacks.  
I know, that in the Jedi-Apprentice series, he's almost thriteen when Qui-Gon becomes his Master. In this story, however, he's only eleven, because I wanted him to be as young as possible, but tried to match it as close as possible with the age the initiates get chosen in the series.  
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I hope I got all the mistakes, if not; my apologies for them!_

_Rated **M **for a short sexual content, not very graphik. Probably overrated, but one can never be too sure;)_

_Reviews and criticism would be really really appreciated and loved like Obi-Wan!;)_

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**_Enjoy!_**

* * *

**Aquaphobia**

_**by **__**Shanowa**_

_The light shone blue and endless miles of thick ice sparkled in all colours. It was stunning. The frosty, clear air was cold enough to ached in the lungs when one breathed without a shawl in front of once mouth and nose. The bright light bedazzled once eyes, but every visitor of this natural miracle still kept them open.  
nobody wanted to miss any of the beauty around them.  
_

_And in the centre of the scene, two dark shapes strumbled fowards. Slowly, yet steady. but they didn't seem to share the peace of the place. They quarreled.  
Sudddenly one of them angrily stamped his boot onto the plate and a shudder within the force followed the move, and crashed into the ice.  
The ice burst and with a surprised scream, both disappeared into the algid water, leaving nothing behind, but tense silence._

* * *

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**Nine years later in the Jedi-Temple, Coruscant:**

„Bant, where are we going?"

She just chuckled and continued her way through the empty temple, having her best friend grabbed by his wrists and leading him through the darkness, the black cloth in front of his grey-blue eyes preventing him from seeing.

It was short after midnight and he'd been thrown out from his bed in a very sudden movement, just minutes ago. He hoped for her, that she had a pretty good reason for it, because his mood was almost on killing-level.

„Bant! The fact that I'm all but naked and dragged through the temple corridors gives me at least the right to know what's going on, don't you think?"

She gave another chuckle and whispered: „Hush! You're waking up the masters! And calm down, you're still wearing something, Phoenix"

Phoenix was the nickname he 'd been given once by one of the various healers who treated him.

She was assuring him, it would be "perfectly fitting" for he seemed to spend more time with healers, than with his own master, but would "rise from the ashes" after every blow again, like a Phoenix.

Somehow, Garen had affiliated this immediately and now, he was more or less officially Phoenix.

„Oh, very comforting, you know", sarcasm floated through his canorous voice.

To make things worse, she hadn't even let him dress properly and he didn't even have the slightest idea of what, by every single star in the galaxy (that were much, he could tell) she was going to do to him now.

Had it not been Bant, but one of his other close friends, like Garen or Siri, he would have defended himself. Very hard. Determined and scared. The only reason he was now following her lead so obedient was, that he trusted her more than them. At least when it was about dragging him through the temple corridors in the middle of the night with nothing more than shorts and his red-brown robe to cover his muscular body.

He run a hand through his auburn hair. It acknowledged the move by spiking up in every direction now and he sighed.

„Bant!"

„We're here" She lead him over a low threshold and suddenly he felt soft, damp grass beneath his bare feet.

They were in the halls of the thousand fountains. These halls were huge, occupying more square miles than some entire buildings on Coruscant did, with not only fountains, but several different lakes, rather high hills (for being indoor hills) and cliffs, even shores and caves and of course various exotic plants from throughout the entire Galaxy, even from already destroyed Planets, in the unknown regions.

Bant freed him from the blindfold and headed towards one of the deeper lakes.

It was surrounded by exotic shaped plants gleaming, radiating cloudy blue, green and orange lights, illuminating the place in an eerie shine, creating an stunning, yet surreal atmosphere.

And in the shallow shore of the dark lake, two umbral shapes stood like ancient guardians of the lake's peace, the water gently curling around their hips.

One remained motionless, while the other started gliding towards them. As it closed in, he recognized her. The laces of her blond hair damp, just dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, Siri headed towards them, her eyes sparkling expectantly. She seemed like a beautiful ancient water goddess, moving with a calm grace and agility that made Obi-Wan shiver slightly.

Her shape was suddenly very very visible beneath the wet short Shirt and revealed delicate humps and a slight swivel of her hips, definitely not coincidental.

He suddenly felt a strong, urgent need to touch her, to hold her in his arms, kiss her, taste her, which he identified as an almost painful desire. It took him a hard struggle to keep his body under control.

He was pretty sure, though, that nobody beside him noticed these evil and malicious attacks on his Jedi-restraint.

She gave him a short hug and a kiss on the cheek and he was grateful for the darkness, blushing like a teenager. He swallowed and immediately

started struggling against a inner heat and emotions, which would definitely not please his Master.

It took him a few moments to realize, he was staring at her and a really enormous amount of willpower to turn away and study the other shape, still motionless, just silently looking at him.

Garen Muln, also one of his closest friends.

Only Reeft remained missing, but not for long. A short clap on the shoulder and a brief, dry bark following announced him.

The short bark always came with his arrival, as for Dresselians, it was a salutation, only reserved for the closest friends.

Obi-Wan felt honoured, as always and nodded in acknowledge.

They were complete now, and as far as he could see, all in bathing clothes. He felt a strong sudden need to make his escape, one of his bad feelings rising in his chest. Bant's damp fin hand still holding his one tight, Siri's frailly lying around his neck and Reeft behind him, though, prevented him successfully from going anywhere.

„Ok, guys, why are we here now?", he whispered, not really willing to interrupt the solemn silence between them, but driven by curiosity.

They owed him an answer, but seemed to decide otherwise. He shivered slightly now from the cool air and the wet grass, but the living force, here stronger than anywhere else on the whole planet warmed him from inside. He had come to love this place usually, but when they guided him to the stony shore, a cold chill craved into his bones and when the water started swirling around his toes,

he felt an old, relentless panic crawling up his spine and pictures of mission long ago, which had a rather traumatic ending, raised inside his head.

* * *

_The boy desperately longed for oxygen, but he suppressed the strong urge to breath in deeply. He knew that would be his certain death now, but still, his vision blurred already and the limp, unconscious body in his arms did nothing to support him. Tears dripped down his small cheeks, invisible due to the water around him and his panic widened eyes burned. _

_It was cold, oh Force the water was freezing. His limbs had already turned numb and his body was shaking violently, the energy left fast decreasing from the icy temperatures of the water. It literally hurt. Like thousands of tiny arrows, piercing his shivering skin. He floated close to the surface, so close to rescuing air. But yet, it still remained out of reach, because of the thick ice-plate in between them._

_He sobbed silently and forged his fragile small fist against it, desperately searching for a weakness in the ice to break through. A way out, through the surface. _

_He struggled hard to gain a clear thoguth, a plan, anything, but he was so fucking afraid. So scared. Siri remained unconscious._

_The Force, he could use the Force, the Force would help him, like it helped the older Padawans when they were in trouble. It wouldn't let him down. It wouldn't. If he just - could reach it-it was there it was always around him, Master Yoda had told him. It was there. But where, why couldn't he feel it? _

_Was he meant for death? But why, he still was so young, he had just become Master Qui-Gon's Padawan, why would he become his Padawan when he was meant to die so early. _

_It was too early, not now, not yet, he had promised. He had promised his master to come back when finished and he was a good Padawan. He did what he was told. And Siri. Siri. He had given her his oxygen mask and he wouldn't take it back, even if he was going to die, because if he did, _she_ was going to die immediately and that was something he wouldn't bear. So he had to hang on, even without air. Because he really didn't want her to die, even if she, was often rude to him, but still, he liked her. How could he tell her, he liked her, if she died now, with him? _

_He had to rescue her. There was no room for mistakes. It was his fault that she was hanging limp within his arms now and he had to safe her._

_But how? _

_And Bant, how could he tell his best friend that Siri had kissed him, on his cheek, in his face, when he didn't find a way out? Bant, she was a Mon Calamari, she'd have found a way out. She was the better swimmer and diver._

_She certainly would have._

_Oh, force, it hurt so much, he wanted to breath. How desperately he wanted to breath. _

_He was not allowed to die now, Master had told him not to. _

_He was pathetic, not even strong enough to stay alive. He always managed to get into so much trouble. No wonder, Qui-Gon had not wanted him as a Padawan. And no he was going to disappoint him again. For Qui-Gon it was better if he would die now._

I'm so sorry, Master, I've let you down again.

_But still, he had to rescue Siri. Siri was important, but how? _

_Oh, force, he needed to breath. He was sure, he couldn't resist much longer now._

_Breath. No, not breath. Not yet. Think, Obi-Wan, think! There has to be a hole somewhere, find it._

_But he couldn't. He was so scared. He couldn't think. He was so cold. So scared. _

Help! Qui-Gon help me!

_But Qui-Gon couldn't hear him. He was alone. His own fault. Had he been more alert, hadn't he been dreaming so much, as Qui-Gon told him, he would not be in this situation now._

_He was so incompetent. A helpless case. Oafy-Wan. Not worth being a Padawan._

_But Siri, Siri was. He had to find a way out. But it was so cold. He was so scared. _

_Cold. Afraid._

* * *

He had not realized that he'd stopped, breathing harshly and fast, his heart pounding in his chest.

Siri grasped his chin tenderly and forced him to look her in the eyes.

Such blue eyes, so intense...and now clouded with sympathy and concern.

„We're here, okay, we'll keep an eye on you! Stay calm. We're here. With you. We're not leaving you, okay?" He forced himself to a sharp nod and swallowed, fighting against rising cold panic. She held his view captured with her eyes, covered both his hands with hers and closed her fingers firmly around his wrists, not dragging, just to assure him, she was there to hold onto.

And he believed her. She would not leave him. Not here. Not now.

Bant, who was, as a Mon Calamarian, far the best swimmer among them, wrapped an arm around his waist and shoved him deeper into the cool water.

Garen now closed in on them and draped his arm around his shoulder, as much as insurance as it was a (very effective) method to prevent him from escaping. He could feel it. Their determination. They would pull this through now, no more backing out.

He all but sobbed as the inevitable panic seemed to suffocate him. The water now reached his flat belly. He struggled to resist them, but they wouldn't let him go and they shoved him forwards, deeper into the cool, dark water.

Sweat trickled down his neck and he all but fainted from the adrenalin, pumped through every single of his vains with violence.

The water reached his muscular chest now.

His collarbone. The shoulders. Throat. And then he was shoved forwards as his feet loosed ground contact and he sucked the air in, desperately trying to relax, not to struggle, to release the tension in his muscles.

And then he was swimming. His friends around him, soothing his anxiety, all but redeemed him from his fears. The water sustained him, gently curled around his strong body, warmer now, than he had thought. He slowly glided through the soft waves and found himself strangely enjoying it.

The adrenalin was still in his bloodstream, all his senses still on alert and yet, he enjoyed it in a strange way. Like an adrenalin kick.

"See? That wasn't so difficult at all, was it?", he heard a soft voice whispering low, radiating tranquillity. And he eventually relaxed beneath Siri's gentle hands, caressing his bare back.

He breathed regularly and the adrenalin started to vanish.

Then someone pulled him under water.

And panic rose again, blurring his senses, paralysing his sanity. His view clouded, hands fighting uncontrolled against whoever held him diving beneath the surface, he surrendered to his instincts which took over in an immediate will to survive.

He sucked in and water flooded his lungs, hard coughing, he tried to reach the surface again, but _something_ hindered him.

He was eleven again, hovering right beneath the ice, fighting for his life.

* * *

_He was all but drowning now, he needed to breath, needed air, but couldn't. He couldn't even remember from which direction he came it was hard enough to declare where up and down was, where the ice was. And it was cold. It was already so hard to move, the frosty water left no warmth in his young bones. Siri was still not awake. _

_Oh, force, it was freezing. He was exhausted. Had to find a way. _

_Quickly..._

_Quickly..._

_Quickly..._

_No, no, no that was too slow. He had to hurry, rescue Siri. He liked her. A lot. Rescue her. She couldn't die._

_So tired..._

_He had to stay awake, he couldn't rest now. Not yet. Soon, but not yet._

_He first had to finish his assignment. Then he could. Not yet. He'd to hang on. Just a bit longer now._

_Just a few moments. Till he had freed them. Then Qui-Gon would come and tell him he'd done well, tell him he could sleep now._

_Rest._

_He was a good Padawan. He'd proof that. Just a little bit longer._

_For Siri. Floating in front of him. She was relying on him. He couldn't let her down as well._

_He was so tired now. It didn't even sting anymore. He felt numb._

_Almost warm now. His vision darkened._

_But suddenly, there was a close rumble beneath them. Accompanied by a shrill howl. _

_There was something._

_Something in the dark. It had felt them. Came closer. He could feel it. _

_Huge. Hungry. Dark. Dangerous. _

Away! Get away!

_The force told him to get away! He'd to obey. He wanted to live._

_It came closer, rose from the for in the depth. Fast, much to fast. _

_The boy couldn't quite detect what it was. It was alive. Maybe._

_He could feel it, so it had to be alive. But so dark. He could only feel darkness and death down there. The dark side. That's what it was. He felt a frosty chill in his spine. His head throbbed from the pressure of the approaching dark force._

_What was it?_

_Another howl. Another rumbling._

_He already could feel its tainted breath in his neck. As he swam as fast as he could. _

_Pumping his head on the ice again and again. _

_Get out! GET OUT!_

_He couldn't. Such a thick ice. So much water. Approaching darkness. He again forged his small fist against the ice, till blood streamed down his wrists. He didn't care, couldn't care. _

_GET OUT NOW!_

_He froze as _something_ grasped his leg. Cold and slimy it entwined around his ankle, creeping up his trousers. _

_Panic! Panic! Fear! Disgust! Panic! No! NO! QUI-GON! _

_Instincts took over and made him desperately kick and winch. Made him jerking forward violently as the grasp loosened. And finally vanished, just to get replaced by a pressure on his other ankle._

_He looked down and another shock ended his frantically battle._

Nothing_ was there. And yet, still he felt a grasp around his ankle. Felt the pressure and the draught._

_He still refused to loosen his grip onto the limp body in his arms, but was dragged deeper into the water, closer to eternal oblivious._

_With a sudden lurch he struggled to get free again._

_And the invisible tentacle was replaced by water. By a tide. A maelstrom of water, drowning him, dragging him and his friend down-_

_It got dark, everything darkened. His chest tensed, his heart tensed, refused to continue its work._

_He was dying, that was the inglorious, pathetic end of his existence. He had failed._

_He eventually surrendered and closed his eyes. Drifting quietly into oblivious._

_Fading away...into darkness...death...the Force..._

* * *

He didn't want to die. Didn't want to. Why couldn't they see it? Why not understand? There was still something lurking in the shadows. Something beneath them. Raising from the very ground, floating through the darkness. Why couldn't they feel it? They had to feel it? The cold grip, the maelstrom, the water, pulling him down and them with him, if he couldn't get away, get up, arise, emerge from the water, they had to get OUT of the water!

And there was still the ice, he had to break through, had to safe them, had to safe himself.

He couldn't breath, why couldn't they see him drowning? His chest tightened, he jerked in panic, shaking uncontrollably, ha wanted to get out, use the force, get out from the fucking water, just get away!

His friends, however couldn't see this, couldn't see his urgent need to breath, couldn't feel the approach of the dark creature, fed by the dark side, awaiting their next victims.

They should let him go, leave the damn lake, for Force's sake they were his friends, he trusted them. They were going to release him finally, were they?

His life was in their hands, they wouldn't drown him, would they?

Or sacrifice him to the dark side. Maybe they would, maybe they didn't know what they were doing.

He had to tell them, had to tell them, they were hurting him, killing him, driving him mad, and then they'd stop, they wouldn't...He just had to tell them. Break through the surface and tell them. And insist on getting out of the water before the darkness could destroy them.

Garen just had to loosen his grip, just a bit, just enough for him to-

And then a body appeared in his blurred sight, blocking out all his fears by just staring in to his eyes, the sapphire blue ones narrowed and piercing, capturing his gaze and not releasing it again.

Blond hair encircled beautiful female facial features, giving her once more the look of an ancient goddess, strong and intimidating, yet stunning beautiful. She took his face, contorted by fear in her smooth hands, gently caressing his strong cheekbones the and cliff in his chin then leaned forward and captured his lips with hers, first just brushing softly against his, but then embracing him into a passionate, yet gentle kiss.

He felt his lips slightly parting and she immediately took the invitation, sliding her tongue in his mouth, exploring it fiercely.

He'd completely forgotten his panic and instead felt his groin answering.

Shuddering, he felt himself getting hard as she rubbed his back and pushed deeper into his mouth.

He pressed his body against her, wanting nothing more than to feel her, to finally enjoy her, wanted nothing more than to never leave the water again, never to end this moment.

* * *

_Then it struck him. _

_Siri!_

_Still limp in his arms. _

_No! NO!_

_She wouldn't die! No matter what, the thing, the water, the darkness was not allowed to take her._

_He mustn't give up now. Fresh determination pulsated through his brains and set his muscles on fire._

_And with impossible force, with skills he had never gained, he stretched his arm pushed it forward, up to the surface, to the ice above him and, dwelling on a power he had never had, he closed his eyes, released himself fully into the light of the force and finally pushed forward._

_The ice burst with a crack, pieces flying in every possible direction and through the explosion, a young boy, his arm outstretched, mind and body fully released into the force, stronger than every living master flew through the air, towards the sky in his last final revolt against death, catapulting himself and the young girl in his arms back into life._

_With a horrible crack he landed on his back on the hard floor, relieved, so fucking relieved to be back in the air, filled with marvellous, amazing oxygen, making it so easy to breath._

_He panted harshly and then, finally gave in to his exhaustion and faded away into welcome darkness, his body trembling violently, frozen from inside._

_Siri would survive._

_That was enough._

* * *

They eventually pulled away from the sheer lack of oxygen and surfaced again, slightly panting.

Neither of them realized the three others emerging from the lake giggling quietly and leaving instantly, (Bant had to violently pull Garen away from the scene) offering them some space.

They didn't even notice.

Instead Obi-Wan pulled her closer, the adrenalin still in his blood making him only even more alert to Siri's smooth, warm skin against his, to her thrusting on him, forging her groin against his, entwining her legs around his.

He felt his erection, almost painfully hard, throbbing against her thigh, aching bitter sweet as he embraced her, held her tightly and pulled her back under water, answering her fierce, feral kiss, as he got rid of the obstructive cloth in between them and left a trail of kisses down her throat...

* * *

**_Nine years ago in the medical centre of Ireen IV:_**

_Qui-Gon Jinn stopped his impatient pacing as the healer announced him. _

"_Your boy's through. He made it" He couldn't help a relieved sigh, escaping from his throat, sore from all the screaming and shouting earlier. But the healer didn't look quite as pleased as he wanted him to feel. There was still an unsure feeling, slightly mirroring the anxiousness, the Jedi-Master had felt as he had found his unconscious, all but frozen Padawan on the ice field, one of the boy's best friends clutched tightly in his small, shaking hands._

_Young Kenobi had been his Padawan just for a few weeks now and yet, he felt he couldn't bear loosing him. Not another apprentice. The guilt, the shame, but also sorrow and grief would eat him alive. They already had an unusually strong bond, connecting them, although they hardly knew each other by now._

_And he'd already managed to almost loose him to a relentless ocean beneath the ice of the Arctic planet. Not that it was important now, but he couldn't help feeling guilt. Guilt for his obvious lack of capability to keep the young boy safe, to keep the promises he had given him._

_He couldn't even imagine, how the water had felt on Obi-Wan's young, smooth skin. What determination it had taken him to escape the clawing flood and still keep holding Siri. _

_He had rescued the girl's and his own life, being hardly eleven standard-years old. _

_The potential of the Padawan was enormous, his fate important to the entire galaxy. _

_He was going to be one of the greatest Jedi in the history of the order, assumed that he would survive the years as a Padawan. The force, he could feel that, had chosen him to take care of the boy, to raise and guide him, to open him to his destiny. _

_And he had failed. Already. He felt guilt. And shame. And put it aside, however, as the healer still didn't manage to raise his gaze of the floor and look him in the eyes, and instead continued studying the floor as if it was an interesting new, just yet developed species._

_He cleared his throat and tried to ignore the chill, creeping slowly up his spine. There was something more. The healer hadn't told him everything. Intricacies? Further damage? _

_Qui-Gon finally surrendered to his impatience as the healer still didn't move and stepped forward, to close to maintain a convenient space in between them. The man jerked back a bit, but then seemed to regain awareness immediately._

"_Err, yes... Master, your apprentice was unconscious and under water for a rather long time. He hasn't regained consciousness yet either and we have to reckon that there might be – err - There is a possibility that his brain might be seriously damaged. It's not very likely, but it's possible that his personality, his character might not be...err...the same as it was._

_And still, if he is lucky and there will not remain any further aftermaths, he will definitely be traumatized and it is also likely that there will remain an unnatural fear. Of deep water. Called Aquaphobia"_


End file.
